Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama (right) waves to the crowd with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. (AFP)

Your Take: The African Union is finally living up to its promise, 50 years later, writes the president of Ghana.

by John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama (right) waves to the crowd with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. (AFP)

(Special to The Root) — When the African Union (known then as the Organization of African Unity) was founded, the leaders of that era understood that the success of their individual countries hinged on the success of the entire continent. Now, as the organization celebrates its 50th anniversary, we understand more than ever the key role that unity has played in Africa’s past and must continue to play as the continent embraces this new wave of economic prosperity and international attention.

Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, founding father of Ghana, the first sub-Saharan nation to gain its independence from colonial rule, famously said, “Our independence is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of Africa.” This sense of solidarity was one of the driving forces behind the gathering of Dr. Nkrumah and other leaders from 32 African nations on May 25, 1963, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Emperor Haile Selassie hosted that first ever African Summit, during which the organization was born.

It is easy in this information age of search engines and social media, where protest and consensus are only a click away, to dismiss this decision to stand as one body in support of each other’s mutual interests as unremarkable. But, in fact, it was a quite remarkable feat. It took a vision that extended beyond the problems and circumstances of right then and right there. It took the wisdom to know that all vestiges of domination had to be deconstructed. New structures and paradigms, ones that mirrored our indigenous traditions, had to be created.

The divisions that had been created by colonialism, from artificial boundaries to purposely manufactured ethnic tensions, were all intentional impediments to African unity and, as a consequence, African liberation. Dividing, after all, is the first step toward conquering.

The Organization of African Unity concerned itself with improving the living conditions of Africans on the continent, defending the sovereignty of newly liberated nations, as well as funding and fighting for the liberation of places still under colonial domination. It imposed sanctions on South Africa for its practice of apartheid and aligned itself with individuals and groups in other parts of the world, particularly the United States, that were engaged in a struggle for the equality of African people within the diaspora.

Perhaps the most important mission of the Organization of African Unity, implicit in its every existence, was the recognition of Africans, regardless of origin, as brothers and sisters of the same soil. We were accepting the responsibility to be each other’s keeper.

But the priorities of the organization could only mirror the priorities of its member nations. There were years when some nations were being devastated by war, famine, ethnic strife and crippling poverty. The continent was fragmented. Many nations were too busy struggling for their own survival to take on the additional burden of being another country’s keeper. And, not surprisingly, the despots and coup-makers who were looting their country’s coffers balked at the idea of accountability.

During those years, which are often referred to as “the lost decades,” the Organization of African Unity seemed to exist in name only; many referred to it as a toothless bulldog. Nevertheless, everyone still recognized the need for its existence.

In 2002, the Organization of African Unity was dissolved and replaced with the African Union. It was more than a superficial makeover. The post-colonial growing pains that had resulted in chaos and poor governance for many nations were now giving way to peace, democracy and the rule of law. And once again, we recognized the strength and power in our unity.

The African Union is a well-structured organization with precise goals, a primary one of which is “to accelerate the political and socio-economic integration of the continent.” In order to hasten this integration, eight regional economic communities were created: the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the East African Community (EAC), to name just two.

It is without a doubt that these subregional bodies have played a significant role in bringing economic stability. So much so that the majority of the nations listed as the world’s fastest growing economies are on the African continent.

Now that the majority of African nations are committed to the development of their democracies, the African Union is also better able to define its role when there is a need for conflict resolution. And because the challenges facing our nations are increasingly becoming ones that have no regard for national boundaries, challenges such as effectively enforcing laws to end the trafficking of drugs and human beings, addressing the impact of climate change, deforestation, desertification and land degradation, the African Union’s member states will come to an agreement on how to grant the organization full legislative powers, while at the same time enabling nations to maintain their sovereignty.

Just like the continent that it oversees, the African Union is a work in progress. As a student of history, I know that 50 years is a relatively short span of time, amounting to nothing more than a page in a history textbook. When considered in that context, the African Union has come a very long way since its inception — three whole decades before the inception of the European Union — and given the limitations that it has faced over the years, African Union has achieved a great deal.

At that first African summit in Addis Ababa, Emperor Haile Selassie said, “May this convention of union last 1,000 years.” With the renewed sense of potential on the African continent, indeed it shall.

John Dramani Mahama is the president of Ghana.

The Root aims to foster and advance conversations about issues relevant to the black Diaspora by presenting a variety of opinions from all perspectives, whether or not those opinions are shared by our editorial staff.

“Us Lifting Us, a economic development cooperative created to help Milwaukee’s Black community take control of the economics in the community, will hold a International Radio/Call-in presentation of the ULU Cooperative Economic Empowerment Plan.

The broadcast will be Thursday, July 4 at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Us Lifting Us Economic Development Cooperative is advancing a powerful plan and business model that will empower the community. ULU is now doing online presentations of the Plan for brothers and sisters in the United States and beyond.

This is an interactive presentation with Q&A. The presentation will be live participants will be able to view the graphic pages on their computers. The presentation will start from the ULU website: www.usliftingus.com.

The radio side allows persons from outside the U.S. to come to the presentation without long distance charges.

The cooperative businesses developed by this powerful plan will not only benefit the community, it can also benefit individuals and their families.

To participate by phone, call 619-326-2725, code 263-2133 (#). To arrange for this presentation at other times, call 404-952-2077.

It’s that time of year again; it’s getting colder outside, Christmas music is taking over the radio, and the office Holiday party is just around the corner.

We have all heard stories of someone having one too many drinks and ended up acting completely inappropriate.

Proper office party etiquette should be common sense but according to a survey conducted by TorontoJobs.ca, most of us need a refresher.

The survey of office holiday party goers found that:

77% of party attendees have witnessed extreme cases of intoxication by co-workers

64% observed co-workers inappropriately dressed for the occasion

52% of party goers observed unsuitable behavior (co-workers flirting, verbal fights, etc.) In order to avoid being the talk of the office water cooler, here are a few tips that you should keep in mind if you plan on attending your office holiday party:Eat, drink and be merry, but do so in moderation. Excessive drinking could be cause for an awkward situation come Monday morning in the office.Leave the mistletoe at home. The office party is not the place to flirt and try to find a date for New Year’s Eve!Watch your words. Just because the setting is more relaxed, doesn’t mean your language should be. More people than you think take offense to profane language.Dress appropriately. The office party isn’t the right place to show off your new mini skirt or backless dress.Absolutely no gossiping about other coworkers. You never know who is listening. Keep in mind that with the evolution of social networking; news travels fast!

The “emptiness” next to Bethel Baptist Church disappeared on October 27, 2012, when the Kindred Ties bus shelter, unceremoniously reappeared on the site it inhabited for the past six years.

Evelyn Patricia Terry, creator of Kindred Ties, offered her perspective on its importance asa public art piece thatestablishes a sense of place in the African American communityand celebrates nurturing families, spiritual awareness, global knowledge, and educational achievement.

“Kindred Ties represents our history, culture, values, and what we incessantly speak of – thereby coalescing my ideas, the community’s ideas, and other artists’ ideas to share with the world,” Terry said.

Located in the busy six points’ intersection of 21st Street, W. Fond du Lac Avenue, and W. North Avenue the bus shelter’s disappearance March 17, bewildered Kindred Ties’artists, employees in Seaway Bank across the street, and many concerned community organizers.

“What could have happened?” they asked Terry. Although as a public art piece, it now belonged to the community, Terry felt invested to solve the mystery. She eventually tracked it down through Sandy Kellner, Chief Operating Officer of the Milwaukee County Transit System.

After establishing contact with Dean Amhaus, former Spirit of Milwaukee’s Executive Director and Ed Mordy, Spirit of Milwaukee’s financial consultant, a new bus shelter frame was purchased. Millennium Neighborhood Art Initiative, the original project host, provided restoration funds. The funds permitted the unharmed sixteen colorful welded sculpture images to be successfully transferred to a new bus shelter and the repaired Kindred Ties to be reunited with embedded bronze plaques at the original site.

After seeing it repaired, Terry said: “The positive energy that Kindred Ties summoned up for its creation and then for its restoration is extremely gratifying and speaks volumes to Milwaukee’s cooperative leaders. And Kindred Ties is appreciated. Offering unsolicited comments during installation, several transit users said, to me, that they were pleasantly surprised to have such a nice and different object in their neighborhood. Many were also surprised to learn that an African American woman originated the concept and secured funds to hire diverse Milwaukee artists and businesses to manifest Kindred Ties.”

There are three things that have happened in the last week that just don’t make sense to me that I wanted to share my thoughts on.

1. Hampton University Business School Dean Sid Creadle stands by ban on locks and cornrows. Hampton has the right to do what they want and a take on the responsibility to prepare their students for corporate boardrooms.

However, in 2012 there is an opportunity to create trend setting business leaders and not conforming ones. Be aggressively honest with your students about the consequences of appearance decisions, but be a bridge to corporate America that says “Change.”

Hampton could say to corporate recruiters and set up discussions with progressive corporate leaders to proclaim “We have brilliant men and women who have chosen to expresses their cultural identity through their hair and will add to your bottom line.”

All won’t bite, but I bet some would. There are doors I have not been able to walk in with my locks and there are places I have changed because of them.

We need courageous institutional leadership that prepares our kids for the real world as they simultaneously prepare them to change it. Let’s not create more boxes for our kids to have to fit in. Empower them to redefine this world.

2. The New LeBron James Signature X sneakers slated for release this fall will be sold for $315. Now, I love LeBron, but come on. We have massive unemployment, young people and parents struggling to buy things they don’t need with money they don’t have to impress people they don’t like.

LeBron’s fault…no, but if you care at all about the fans who have made you, push Nike to release sneakers at two price points. If I could afford them, I would not put that kind of target on my kids feet. Because the kids that can’t afford them are coming for the kids whose family can. $315 shoes will be the aspiration of kids whose parents don’t have $315 dollars saved for their future. WTF.

3. There was article last week on Politic365.com that claimed the greatest threat to President Obama was not Mitt Romney, but black voters staying home on Election Day.

There are few who would argue that the vast majority of registered black voters support President Obama, but that doesn’t mean that if it rains on Election Day, they will turn out.

What a shame that 147 years after the abolishment of slavery we still have to convince, trick, or beg us to actually be citizens of a country we helped build. Your desire or lack of desire to vote says less about the president, your congressperson, or local judge. It says something about you. Vote because it is your responsibility as an active citizen. Anyone feel like this candidate and the nation should not be joined in matrimony? Vote November 6 or forever shut up.